Pakistan in group 4 for 2007 World Cup

[Amjid Javed]

KARACHI, March 31: Pakistan are almost guaranteed a place in the second round of the ninth ICC Cricket World Cup, to be staged in the Caribbean in 2007, as they are grouped with the hosts West Indies , Zimbabwe and a yet-to-be-decided qualifier.

According to details available with Dawn, the ICC ODI Championship table on April 1 - the cut-off date set by the game's governing body - will form the basis of the seedings for the mega event which will be played at eight venues across the Caribbean in two years' time.

The 2007 World Cup is to be contested by a record 16 teams that will be split into four groups of four for the first round with the top two sides progressing to the second round Super Eight stage. The semi-finalists will be decided at the conclusion of the second phase.

The 11 teams with One-day International status will be seeded on Friday, based on the April 1, 2005 ODI Championship rankings. And with no more One-day Internationals being played prior to the cut-off date, Pakistan, currently ranked fourth, are placed in Pool 4 alongside the sixth-ranked West Indies and the two minnows, ninth-ranked Zimbabwe and the unknown qualifier. These four teams are to be based in Jamaica.

The remaining five spots will be decided in July this year when Ireland host the ICC Trophy, which serves as the qualifying phase for the World Cup. The actual tournament dates with complete schedule of matches for the biggest one-day cricket event will be announced immediately after the ICC Trophy ends in mid-July.

Undisputed world champions Australia, winners of the previous two World Cup editions in England (1999) and South Africa two years ago, England, India and West Indies were already pre-seeded last July into four separate groups to ensure a smooth management of the accommodation, transport and numerous logistical matters in the Caribbean.

The top-ranked Australians, who are placed in Pool 1, will be based in St Kitts and Nevis where they would have the company of their old rivals South Africa, the ICC Trophy winners and the fifth-placed team from that competition.

India, currently ranked eighth, will play their matches in Trinidad & Tobago with second-ranked Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the fourth-placed ICC Trophy side in Pool 2. Third-ranked New Zealand join England, ranked seventh, in St Lucia along with 10th-ranked Kenya and the third-placed ICC Trophy team in Pool 3.

Given the constant decline in form of both Zimbabwe and West Indies, the 1992 World Cup champions Pakistan should encounter no major problem in making the Super Eight stage with an unblemished record in the initial round.

Two years ago in southern Africa, Pakistan endured, perhaps, their worst-ever World Cup campaign when they failed miserably and were ousted before the second round (previously known as the Super Six stage) after finishing runners-up to Steve Waugh's Aussies in 1999.

GROUP PHASE FOR WORLD CUP 2007:

POOL 1: Australia, South Africa, ICC Trophy winners, ICC Trophy fifth-placed team.

POOL 2: Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, ICC Trophy fourth-placed team.

POOL 3: New Zealand, England, Kenya, ICC Trophy third-placed team.

POOL 4: West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, ICC Trophy runners-up.

ODI CHAMPIONSHIP RANKINGS (AS ON MARCH 31, 2005): 1. Australia 140 rating points; 2. Sri Lanka 117; 3. New Zealand 116; 4. Pakistan 109; 5. South Africa 107; 6. West Indies 105; 7. England 103; 8. India 98; 9. Zimbabwe 50; 10. Kenya 26; 11. Bangladesh 11.

[Officer Barbrady]

The first round is easy for everyone. The second should be very very interesting (similar to the 92 WC).

[suhaib]

these groups are looking simple for the the big teams.

so why are they changing to 4 groups now,

[catwoman]

India and Bangladesh?! That should be one hell of a competition then.

[Amjid Javed]

Originally Posted by suhaibonline these groups are looking simple for the the big teams. so why are they changing to 4 groups now,

money purposes X) X) thats all ICC care about!

[Officer Barbrady]

It's a good change imo given that the minnows were going to play anyway. The first round simply eliminates the rubbish and then we get down to serious cricket with that round of 8 and each team playing against the 7 other countries.

This format gives ample opportunities to every team to bounce back after a bad start.

As I said very similar to the 92 world cup format and should be very interesting.

[Amjid Javed]

92 was the only true format of any note! It was good to see pakistan win it!

[Officer Barbrady]

Originally Posted by Amjid Javed 92 was the only true format of any note! It was good to see pakistan win it!

Amjid this is the same format (second round onwards)

[Hussain]

chalo we dont seem to be kicked out in the 1st round this time just like the 2003 edition of the WC

[Amjid Javed]

I know marooned, so finally like 1992 we have a good format (for 2nd round atleast)

[Officer Barbrady]

Yes yes and we will win it again..

[pakistani pride]

Well still if one of the big teams have a bad day it cud be over

[adi 101]

well looks like pakistan will have a decent chance in the competition hopefully we can build the team even more for the 2007 wc

[Rob H]

Damn, didn't want NZ. Pak have tough draw. You never know with the Windies and Zimbo

[nufc]

good draw for pakistan

[tahaqureshi]

zimbo may improve in next few years...and windies are now rebuilding..they gave a hell of a fight today to the south africans atleast

[Waqar's inswinging yorker]

decent draw for us


INDIA - 8TH - LOLLLLLLLLLL

[zulfiqar]

POOL 2 looks the most interesting and where all the action is at! 11, 8, 2, and ICCtrophy-team will be competing, so I guess its' a walk in the park for Srilanka but for the rest itw ill be competitive

On 2nd note, Pak got pretty easy draw. ANd as fo the money factor.. they could've picked india and paksitan in the same pool and added 2 minnows that even India can defeat and then they'd be looking at maximum profits.

Should be good worldcup, but first round is pathetic except i'l be looking forward to india vs bangladesh clash, the only place in the 1st rnd where things can take an unexpected change!

Whilst i say that.. inshAllah wel'l be able to come ahead of zim and the icc-team.. u never know with us

[Waqar's inswinging yorker]

good post zulfiquar!!! i agree with that

[Hash]

the world cup will be a disaster.

They have gone for some idiotic super 8 format which does nothing but create unimportant and pointless games. This is a world cup......every game should be important. That is why I would advocate a quarter final, semi final and final system with top two going through from each group.

Also the weather in the Carribean is very irritating. Half the matches will be rained off and the world cup will probably end up being shared.

[KB]

There is a pretty wide consensus that the best format ever for a WC was the 1992 structure - 9 teams played each other once.

The second round of this 2007 WC is going to be similar - and that is a good thing. All the best teams will play each other once.

The only problem is the first round. With two weak teams in each group, there are going to be many uninspiring and predictable matches. Once we get into the second round though, there should be plenty of good cricket.

[Amjid Javed]

for all the blind posters...

[Schiller]

im going blind (( ((

[Amjid Javed]

allah na karay

[Schiller]

first you call me blind hten say Allah naa karay (

[Cartman]

So whats the format like for 2nd round??

I am guessing two teams from each pool would progress to the 2nd stage. Thats 8 teams. Would they be split into two pools?

[Amjid Javed]

Originally Posted by Cartman So whats the format like for 2nd round?? I am guessing two teams from each pool would progress to the 2nd stage. Thats 8 teams. Would they be split into two pools?

NO, top 2 from each group go thru...

then just 1 big group ala 1992....

u then play 6 games.. against other qualifiers.. so its just like 1992.

1st round is meaningless and just there for minnows and record breaking purposes..

2nd round will be just top 8 odi side in world. so when pakistan qualify with west indies... they dont play agen.. just play other 6...

then 1st plays 4th - semi 1

2nd plays 3rd - semi 2

;)+ ;)+

[Amjid Javed]

just like 1992... pakistan skipper will retire after winning the cup inshallah...

i doubt wether inzi wil become a politian thou... just hope he doesnt end up like maradona!

[Cartman]

Let me get this straight AJ.

Thats what I said 2 teams from each pool progress to the second round. I dont see how that is different from what you just said..



Also 2x4=8 teams and they all play each other that means 7 matches.. You said they play 6 games..

How is that possible?

unless I am missing out on something here.. Please enlighten us O Knowledgeable ONE.

[zorawar]

You do not play the team that was in your pool... For example Pak will not play WI in the second round...

Therefore 6 games for all teams in 2nd round...


Then the top 4 go to semis? 1st plays 4th and 2nd plays 3rd ?

[the true passionist]

groups are only made to give the qualifying team a taste of international cricket and teams....
the competition will be in the super 6 group

what happened to the idea of super 8 ? will be in implemented in the following WC

[Naveed]

I actually think that this format is pretty good. The doormats get 3 games (instead of the 5 they got in 2003) so they get some exposure but not too much.

Then the main 8 teams get to play each other. So basically all main teams get to play each other at some point.

[octavian]

Looks like we'll have to bear some really incompetent crickety at the start of the tourney.

The real competition starts from round 2 onwards. I like the format though. It shpuld be very competitive after the the round 1.

[Daoud]

Ignoring the first round, this WC should be way better than 2003

[Hash]

I think people have got the wrong end of the stick here. The super 8 is not one big group......it is two groups of 4, with the top two from each going to the semi final.

ICC Cricket Committee – Management
The new World Cup format
S Rajesh - September 19, 2003

The 2007 World Cup could have two more countries participating, making it a 16-team event. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the ICC's Cricket Committee – Management (CC-M), Malcolm Speed revealed the new format, under which 16 teams would form four groups of four teams each.

The teams in every group would play each other, with the two top sides from the groups forming a Super Eight. These would then be split into two groups, which would again play a round-robin format. The two best teams from each group would then go through to play the semi-finals and the final.

Speed clarified that this was only a proposal, which needed to be ratified before being implemented. "It needs now to go through a process of consultation with a number of stakeholders, not the least of whom are the cricket World Cup organising committee in the West Indies, player-representative groups, the GCC and then the ICC executive board."

If the new format does indeed come into effect, it will mean a far shorter tournament than the 2003 edition, in which 53 matches were played. Under the current format, the total number of matches played will only be 39.

Speed also clarified that the idea was to involve as many islands in the West Indies as possible. Hence, each island would host all matches of one group, thus ensuring that seven or eight islands are involved over the entire tournament.

Answering a question on whether increasing the number of teams would result in more one-sided matches, Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said: "The Associate members which took part [in the 2003 World Cup] all performed credibly. We have a high-performance programme in place to improve the quality of cricket of these teams. I do not believe that 16-team format will dilute the tournament."

In the 2003 edition, every team – including the minnows – played at least six matches, as the 14 teams were split into only two groups. The new format will ensure that the lesser teams play only three matches each.

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http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_datab...19SEP2003.html

[farid1]

ahh it will be rain affected

[Officer Barbrady]

Hash, this article is old I am quite sure I read some where that the eight teams would play a game against each other. Hopefully that is the case! If not then this format sucks

[Hash]

hope so marooned